1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
The play is based in New York City in the 1980's during the AIDS epidemic. It is a group of gay friends with Ned being the main character and Felix is his lover. Emma is the doctor that is at the forefront of the research for a cure. They group tries to figure out what is causing this disease while their peers are dying. They try to get the mayor involved, but at this time, politics are not interested in speaking about sexuality to the public.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play is when Craig dies. After this, the group gets more dedicated for finding a cure and getting help from the government.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor of the play is that this is when Craig decides to get himself checked out in Emma's office. This is when he suspects there might be something wrong.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will they get help of the government to find the cure for HIV/AIDS?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first kind of exposition is when Felix and Ned are talking in his apartment. During this conversation, Felix asks Ned about his sexual past and the audience can tell that Ned is not very sexual. He is proudly gay, but he is not very into sex. The second type of exposition is when the group has a talk wit Hiram outside his office. Hiram explains that the major does not want to meet with them and the audience learns that the mayor does not want anything to do with gays.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment is the very end when Ned and Felix are at the hospital. They both say, "I Do", and Felix instantly dies! It was very dramatic and heartbreaking. It was the true ending of a story like this where the epidemic killed so many people.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
LGBT community, sexuality, AIDS/HIV, sex safe,government, cure, religion, death, media,
8. What does Ned want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants? Ned wants to find a cure for the disease. Ned vs Himself: He wants to try everything he can to get funding from the mayor, but his aggressive personality scares everyone away from helping him. Ned Vs. Ben: Ned wants his brother to help him out since he is a lawyer, but his brother pushes him away at times. It seems like he is embarrassed to represent his gay brother at his office. Ned VS. Society: The government of NYC does not want to represent gays at all which is why it is so hard for them to contact the mayor. They do not want to deal with the scrutiny they may receive. Ned VS. Fate: At the end of the day, Ned tried everything he could to save Felix. He fought for four years even though he was kicked out. At the very end, he feels guilty for not doing enough, but I think it was fate that Felix dies.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Some images in the play are the purple ares of Felix's feet because it shows the disease is attacking everyone. Another image of the play was the wheelchair that Emma was in. Even though they never saw if she is straight or gay, she still is not considered "normal" because she has polio. She suffers a disease that makes her stand out like her patients. The title of the play is "Normal Heart" and it implies that even though society treated gays like they are not normal, they have normal hearts. The love of everyone comes from the same heart.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
The only family relationship in this play is Ben and Ned. They seem to get closer towards the end of the play when Ben finds out Felix is ill. But throughout the play, they fight over the amount of effort Ben is putting towards Ned's cause. So they are not very close, but they do not hate each other either,
The play is based in New York City in the 1980's during the AIDS epidemic. It is a group of gay friends with Ned being the main character and Felix is his lover. Emma is the doctor that is at the forefront of the research for a cure. They group tries to figure out what is causing this disease while their peers are dying. They try to get the mayor involved, but at this time, politics are not interested in speaking about sexuality to the public.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play is when Craig dies. After this, the group gets more dedicated for finding a cure and getting help from the government.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor of the play is that this is when Craig decides to get himself checked out in Emma's office. This is when he suspects there might be something wrong.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will they get help of the government to find the cure for HIV/AIDS?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first kind of exposition is when Felix and Ned are talking in his apartment. During this conversation, Felix asks Ned about his sexual past and the audience can tell that Ned is not very sexual. He is proudly gay, but he is not very into sex. The second type of exposition is when the group has a talk wit Hiram outside his office. Hiram explains that the major does not want to meet with them and the audience learns that the mayor does not want anything to do with gays.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment is the very end when Ned and Felix are at the hospital. They both say, "I Do", and Felix instantly dies! It was very dramatic and heartbreaking. It was the true ending of a story like this where the epidemic killed so many people.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
LGBT community, sexuality, AIDS/HIV, sex safe, government, cure, religion, death, media,
8. What does Ned want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
Ned wants to find a cure for the disease.
Ned vs Himself: He wants to try everything he can to get funding from the mayor, but his aggressive personality scares everyone away from helping him.
Ned Vs. Ben: Ned wants his brother to help him out since he is a lawyer, but his brother pushes him away at times. It seems like he is embarrassed to represent his gay brother at his office.
Ned VS. Society: The government of NYC does not want to represent gays at all which is why it is so hard for them to contact the mayor. They do not want to deal with the scrutiny they may receive.
Ned VS. Fate: At the end of the day, Ned tried everything he could to save Felix. He fought for four years even though he was kicked out. At the very end, he feels guilty for not doing enough, but I think it was fate that Felix dies.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Some images in the play are the purple ares of Felix's feet because it shows the disease is attacking everyone. Another image of the play was the wheelchair that Emma was in. Even though they never saw if she is straight or gay, she still is not considered "normal" because she has polio. She suffers a disease that makes her stand out like her patients. The title of the play is "Normal Heart" and it implies that even though society treated gays like they are not normal, they have normal hearts. The love of everyone comes from the same heart.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
The only family relationship in this play is Ben and Ned. They seem to get closer towards the end of the play when Ben finds out Felix is ill. But throughout the play, they fight over the amount of effort Ben is putting towards Ned's cause. So they are not very close, but they do not hate each other either,